To Sail The Grand Line
by equineGypsy
Summary: What happens when the well known White Hunter - now Commander Smoker - takes a young thief onto his ship? Feelings start to grow through mischief, awkward moments and understanding. Smoker X OC. - No Longer Updated
1. Chapter 1

_This is in fact a roleplay between me and my friend Vo on Gaia_

_Who's Who  
Vo - Smoker  
**Me - Xella**_

_Sadly, me or Vo do not own One Piece or Smoker-San. They belong to Eiichiro Oda._

_Xella Saltar (c) Me_

_...  
_

** Chapter 1**

Location: Summer based Island, somewhere on the Grand Line near Arabasta...

This could not be happening. Captain, no, it was Commander now. Commander Smoker scowled down at his subordinates, having of just found out 'the little bit of repairs' was going to be turned into a week long island visit.  
Somewhere out there, there was a god that had it out for him. This, on top of the massive fail with Crocodile and being saved by the Straw hats and being promoted for nothing short of a disaster.

"What do you mean we could be here for more than a week!"  
The marine seemed to shrink and them mumbled something about terminal damage to the hull. Smoker made a infuriated sound – starting right at the back of his throat. A sound that generally meant someone was going to be hurt.

It was hot. No, make it boiling hot... and humid. The sort of place women in coconut bras should be dancing about. Except they weren't. The sort of place that had a distinct lack of one Monkey D Luffy and crew. Therefore, Smoker hated it.

**She had heard about the war in Alabasta... who hadn't with the way there was always something about it in the newspapers. A soft sigh passed the pink lips of the female as she stretched, having been laying on a building for most of the morning. Blue eyes opened to glance around on the street below, having notice marine officers moving through the different shops, looking for things that she noticed they would only need if a vessel was damaged. **

**Xella had to smirk, strandard marines meant more fun then normal. Grabbing her bow and quiver she stood, strapping them to her back before moving off across the rooftops, following a small group of officers as they made their way out towards where the ship sat. The humid air had given her the idea to ditch her regular shirt so the only thing she had on to cover her chest was a forest green bikini top. Black shorts easily showed the serpent dragon tattoo on her right thigh, not that she cared in this heat.**

**Climbing down she moved over to a stack of crates, by the looks of how close it was, the supplies from the ship. Climbing up she sat on top, eyes scanning the scene as she moved to tie her auburn hair back into a ponytail, blonde fringe still covering the corner of her right eye. She let out a breath, kind of glad she had not been spotted yet before her eyes fell onto the Commander, who looked like he wasn't in a very good mood, only making her smirk grow a bit wider.**

That funny itching sensation at the back of neck, that most people claimed meant you were being watched, was niggling at him. Smoker swatted at his neck, attempting to subdue the feeling. Obviously he was being watched, by a couple of dozen marines worried that he'd unleash his temper on them. Scowling, he glared at them – getting a little satisfaction by the way they suddenly started moving faster and averted their eyes.  
But feeling was not going away. He scanned the surroundings – there wasn't much to be seen. Some sort of tropical forest and a bunch of rocks. After a moment he realised that they were prime hiding spots. /Bloody hell, not a good time to have a lapse in common sense/.

"You three!"  
He pointed to a group that had a distinct lack of Tashigi, having already had enough of her optimism for the day.  
"With me, we're going scouting…away from the shops and town. Tashigi, you're in charge. Make sure there are no slackers".

He swatted at his neck away, ignoring the looks of curiosity from his subordinates. It was hot and he was severely tempted to lose his one of a kind marine jacket. Instead he selected two of his favourite cigar's from the top pocket and light them with relish.

**The pirate pulled one leg up to rest her chin on her knee, playing with an arrow she had pulled out of the quiver as she watched. He wasn't that bad looking... for a navy-dog and she could tell he wasn't comfortable in this situation. That only made her smile, but it fell as she shivered as he glared at the offices around him that were almost like cowering dogs. The thought made her chuckle quietly. **

**The smile fell though as she heard him speak, now obvious why he seemed to be in charge. 'Wow... loud voice and short temper.' she thought, the smile that had been on her lips returning as a smirk.  
Ok, this was going to be too easy to get on this guys nerves.**

**She glanced to the female that the marine had been talking to before watching him pull the cigars from his pocket. She screwed her nose up at that, smoking was disgusting... but she had to admit his looks made up for it. She moved to stand, placing the arrow back in the case before jumping down from the crates, moving around to where she could see him so she could follow.  
Well... stalk.**

That feeling was just not going away. Smoker chewed on his cigars for a moment, grinding the ends to a pulpy mush. Realising, he spat the ends out and took a long drag to relax himself.  
"Right, we'll split into pairs. You with me."

He pointed at the spindly looking one, ignoring the look of despair that the marine gave before saluting in acknowledgement. It was quite amusing, working with these new recruits. They all were terrified of him, but as Tashigi pointed out on many occasions, they always got over it when they realised his bark was worse than his bit.

"You lot go east and we'll go west. Flares if anything goes wrong, don't get separated and I want of full report when you're done, got it?"

With that, he marched left. The recruit already falling behind and he couldn't be bothered calling him forward. And the feeling hadn't abated at all. There was definitely someone watching him. He could literally feel the watcher's eyeballs. It tempted him to turn into a cloud of smoke. However, a player never revealed all he cards at once. It would be stupid to do so, till he knew more.

"Keep your eyes opened"  
He grumbled at the marine.

**She waited, blue eyes never leaving the Commander's figure as she watched him order the officers around like they were nothing. Well technically to him they were as by the looks of them they were only a new group that had been sent out on the ocean accompanied by some older more experienced marines. **

**Once he had started off Xella slipped after him, finding a covered way to follow so she could hide if he turned towards where she was. The younger male seemed jumpy compared to the smoke-color-haired male and she decided to play with his mind a little before moving onto bigger prey.**

**Being part siren pretty much all she had to do was sing to gain the male's attention. But since she was not full it only worked when she focused on one person at a time and it could wear her out rather quickly if she wasn't careful.  
They were getting closer to the trees and she slipped passed them, just behind the younger officer, to climb into a tree, thankful the branches were close enough she could follow them without touching the ground.**

Smokers ear's twitched, branches were creaking. Frowning, he decided it was probably nothing more than a small creature flittering up and down the trees. Or even a gentle breeze, not that there was one. He swiped at the sweat on his brow and decided the bulky jacket had to go. Slipping it off in one easy movement and slinging it over his shoulder. Without even disturbing the smoke from his cigars.

"You! Stop twitching like that. All your jumping about is making a great deal of unneeded noise. And noise attracts trouble"  
He scowled at the obviously nervous marine, wishing he'd picked one of the other two. Or anyone else really. /Damn, maybe I should try being nicer to them/. Giving a little shrug, he carefully appraised each bit of fauna – the greenery was thick and would make an excellent hiding place. And since the feeling hadn't yet abated, whomever it was couldn't be far away.

Eyes rolling, he turned back to the officer who was lagging further and further behind.  
"Hurry up"  
He paused waiting for the officer to catch up.  
"Look you're not going to get hurt by me or anything out here, so please stop looking like the end of the world is upon us".

**Xella had to hold back a laugh at how jumpy the younger officer was while following the other marine. Then again what she had heard when he ordered them ariund before, she could also tell that maybe he was a bit frightening whe it was you he was talking to. **

**She continued after them, making sure to place her feet carefully on each branch, even though her weight made them shake softly as if there was either an animal or a breeze. Luckily her hair wasn't in her face. That be embarassing for her since she was good at sneaking around being a thief and all. Getting into the forest more animals were around and she soon found a tree to sit in where she was hidden by shadow.**

**This was a good time to see what she could make this guy do, maybe annoy the commander while doing it too.  
Taking a breath she began to hum quietly, focusing on the jumpy male.  
"We're walking in the air  
We're floating in the moonlit sky  
The people far below are sleeping as we fly..." she started to sing softly.**

Lanky limbs did an interesting movement that could have been aerial ballet before crashing into the ground – landing in an undignified heap. Smoker spun round at the sound, visibly trying to hold back a smirk at marine's predicament. The terrified expression on the youth's face was not helping matters. Slowly puffing on his cigars, he watched the marine slowly pick himself off the floor.

"There had better be a really good reason for why you're on the floor. And being a clumsy oaf isn't going to cut it."  
He took another long drag at the cigars to hide his smirk, the smoke wafting across his face. Smoker shook his head at the explanation.  
"If there was singing, wouldn't of I heard it too? Now get moving, I've had enough of your idiocy. There is nothing to fear, except me, if you keep parading your stupidity around."

/Maybe we're employing idiots to make up numbers? Tashigi should of warned me/. Despite waving over the marine's fearful explanation of beautiful singing, Smoker now kept a careful ear out. Listening for any unusual sounds. And an eye on his subordinate that was looking around nervously – hands over his ears.

**Ok, holding back her laugh was out of the question so she tried to keep it quiet, making sure to press herself closer to the tree that she sat in as not to be spotted. ****  
The shadows were cooler then out in the suns rays but sitting in the tree was still making small beads of sweat run down over the skin of her neck.**

**'Seems Jumpy won't be listening... oh well... I'm sure I can have a go at a bigger fish.' she thought to herself, going over some songs in her head. Her siren power's strength mostly focused on the type of song. The slower and longer the notes the bigger the target she could focus on since more breath and energy was needed to sing such songs.  
Taking a deep breath to calm herself from the giggle fit she had been in moments before she came across one of her favourite songs and a smile crossed her face.**

**She knew the Commander was listening more intently to his surroundings which helped her focus her voice on him more. She started to hum quietly again, taking her time...  
"May it be an evening star,  
Shines down upon you.  
May it be as darkness falls,  
Your heart will be true.  
You walk a lonely road;  
Oh, how far you are from home..."**

Smoker paused midstep. Leg poised in the air as he looked around for the source of the mystery singing. For some reason the cowering marine was unimportant. He didn't dwell on the thought, intent, instead on locating the vocalist. Head swivelling to the left, he paused only a moment before walking slowly (but very eagerly) towards the thick foliage.

"What the hell?"  
The moment the damp ferns stroked his face as he came near, Smoker came to his senses. /What kind of idiot walks blindly off the path into the trees. Me that who/. Frowning, Smoker eyed a particular tree with great suspicion

"Alright, whom is in there and just what do you think you're doing? You may not be aware, but mislaying a marine is a crime."  
His tone said pissing him off was a bad idea and this was going to be the only warning. Smoker took a long draught from his cigars, eyes glued the plant – waiting for whoever was in there to come out.

**Xella stopped her singing as he heard his voice almost right below the tree. She was panting softly from using her ability as her blue eyes moved to where the marine now stood. ****  
She moved slightly to get a better look, keeping to the shadows so she was hidden as she looked down at him, his eyes pretty much staring right into hers. She closed her eyes to calm her fast beating heart down before a small smile came across her lips.**

**"Question should be who are you and what are you doing? I never asked you to follow my singing..." she stated, moving so an arm hung out into the sun, along with part of her hair and leaning forward caused her eyes to reflect the light.  
She heard the tone and her smile grew slightly, running her fingers in circles on the bark of the tree below.**

**She swore that if she had a tail it would either be wagging or swaying teasingly out next to her hand, trying to divert his attention.**

For once he remained still and silent, not wanting to give anything away to this mysterious woman. Her ability to have him mindlessly follow, was more than a little unnerving. And Smoker, knew you never let anyone know how you felt about something so quickly into meeting. After a moment of observing the brownish haired woman – or as much as she revealed of herself, he fell back into his usual stern frown. Disdain written in his eyes.

"Personally, I'm looking out for irritating spies lurking in the forest – much like yourself, for example".  
He paused for a moment to glance back at the other marine. Slightly pleased the man wasn't shivering in a nervous heap, but was instead glaring at the woman.  
"So now, if you don't mind, you'll be a good little girl and answer all of my questions."

**Xella watched him as he remained silent, blue eyes moving over his face as different emotions flashed through his eyes. She could tell he was thinking and deeply, which kind of surprised her a bit since the marines she had run into on her travels were really not that bright... they always had some kind of flaw in their plans. ****  
This guy however, it showed why he wasn't only in charge because of his size, abilities and loud voice.**

**A small laugh escaped her and she moved down onto a lower branch, now fully exposed in the light. Blonde fringe and auburn ponytail swayed slightly with her movements, her hands gripping the bough slightly as she sat on the wood.  
"You flatter me... but I'm no spy. Just a simple thief. The best life isn't always the higher life... or higher jobs as you think." she said, smiling still, not really feeling threatened.**

**When the older male glanced at the younger marine she lifted a hand and waved slightly at the glaring male. Her eyes snapped back to the higher ranking officer as he spoke again and she moved to swing down, landing in front of him, one hand coming to rest on her hip.  
"I'll answer your questions... can't say I'll speak the truth though. And do you honestly think someone like me would listen to a Government dog if he told me what to do?" she asked, moving to poke his chest teasingly.**

...

**_TBC._  
**

_Hope you like it._

_Review & Fave if you want._

_Peace & Love Madi. ^^  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_This is in fact a roleplay between me and my friend Vo on Gaia_

_Who's Who  
Vo - Smoker  
**Me - Xella**_

_Sadly, me or Vo do not own One Piece or Smoker-San. They belong to Eiichiro Oda._

_Xella Saltar (c) Me_

_..._

Chapter 2

He let a partly concealed smirk slide across his face, the smoke from the cigars doing a good job at hiding his amusement. And for the moment, he let the jab slide, ignoring the debasing meaning it brought across.

One thing Smoker was very good at was invading other's personal space – and making the other feel quite intruded upon. In that line of thought, he casually stepped closer and slowly puffed cigar smoke at Xella's face. Whilst, smoke from somewhere about his person wrapped around the arm on her hip – tightening till he had a firm hold.

"Well, I think we can start with your name. And now is a good time to point out, I consider thieves in the same category as pirates."  
Feeling quite confident he had wrapped up the case of 'irritating tingly feeling' and the woman wasn't going to get away, he turned to his subordinate.  
"You've just completed your preliminary training, haven't you? Perhaps you can tell out little criminal here, exactly what we do to people who interfere with the law."

**Xella could feel the amusement coming from his presence and waited for him to speak, looking rather bored as she stood there. The hand hanging by her side moved up to scratch the side of her neck before she noticed the marine move closer and let out a cough as the smoke filled her nose, mouth and lungs. **

**Her face wrinkled in slight disgust at the thick smoke and she glanced down when the feeling of being held rather tightly moved up her arm. Lucky for her she was not fazed about people being so close, after all... what was good about siren powers if you didn't seduce someone now and then. "Xella Saltar... and I wouldn't have become a thief or a pirate if it wasn't for my father. You might know him, after all he is an officer." **

**She let out a breath as she waited for the older male to stop talking to the clumsy, young officer. Ok, maybe her heart was going a bit faster then usual, but whose wouldn't if a logia user was holding you. At least his power didn't seem to be fire or ice. The thought made her shiver slightly and goosbumps formed on her skin, even in the heat. "Damn siren blood..." she muttered to herself.**

"Well Miss Saltar, I can't say your name rings any bells. But I'm sure your father will quite enjoy a visit from you."

With that slightly ominous sentence, Smoker proceeded to wrap a few more tendrils of smoke around the young thief – insuring she wasn't going to be getting away anytime soon. Certain that the girl was the reason for the feeling of being watched earlier, he abandoned the exploration of the island.

Eager to return to the ship and see how much of the repairs had been done, Smoker attempted to hurry back the way he'd come. A task made difficult by the obstinate young woman he was dragging along and the incredibly jumpy marine.

**"Oh yes... so pleased to see his daughter that was meant to be trained as a marine as a pirate. I can just see his face now." Xella said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she felt the smoke wrap around her. Well this was interesting and she had to smile softly as he turned to start walking, blue eyes glancing to the younger officer. **

**As they started walking she went at her own pace, even if the older male has his smoke wrapped around her. It was much more fun making things difficult for people and soon they were at the edge of the forest. ****  
****The ship was just up ahead and this was where she decided to make things a little more interesting. She knew if she annoyed him more then likely he'd be the one that would like to lock her up, just to be able to taunt her the way she taunted him. **

**Quickly she moved forward, using the skills she had acquired while travelling to jump up onto the Commander's back since his smoke had gone slack the closer she got. It seemed to be acting like ropes, which made it much easier for her. Xella wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist as she clung to the older male, making sure to be careful of his jutte. ****  
****"Wow... I like your muscles..." she said in a soft whisper next to his ear, small smirk on her lips.**

And Smoker went rigid. Alarm bells were ringing at the back of his head – saying something very bad was happening. The smoke that had been holding the woman vanished and he went further into his 'does not compute mode'. Distantly he was aware that the he was making a scene for all of his subordinates.

After few moments he realised the woman, Xella, had spoken. Frowning deeply at the words and what they implied – normally he repelled people, so no doubt it was a irritating attempt to escape.

"You will get off right now. And again I'll remind you that assaulting an officer is not going to bode well with your case."

**Xella's eyes moved from looking at the expression on the Commander's face to the faces of the officers he was in charge of. All of them seemed to be in shock, maybe one or two trying to hold back a laugh since it was probably really awkward to see a superior in a situation like this... especially like this guy. She looked back to him, noticing the change in his features as he frowned. **

**The thief tilted her head at his words and she pouted softly, moving to slide down off his back, folding her arms. "Obviously someone doesn't know a compliment when they hear one." she said, her tone having changed from happy carefree to sightly hurt and annoyed. ****  
****She didn't really know why, but those words of her apparently assaulting him stung slightly. She felt embarrassed, which for her wasn't a very common thing. **

**Eyes dropped to the sand covered ground as her hand came up to pull out her hair tie, wanting to hide her face from the eyes she could feel on her as she stood slightly behind the marine. Auburn hair fell around her shoulders, hiding the top half of her 'X' shaped scar, and fingers came up to run through her blonde fringe, fingertips tracing over the scar across the corner of her right eye. **

**"Well? Are we just going to stand here or what?" she asked softly, not looking to him since she didn't want her emotions portrayed through her eyes. She wasn't going to run, this guy and his power was too interesting, having only met maybe one Logia user before. ****  
****Xella felt too exposed all of a sudden in front of the officers who were watching, wishing she had her shirt on now, but it was back where she had been staying. She wanted to get away from their interested and roaming eyes.**

He took but perhaps a few moments to compose himself, observe the gawking marines and notice Xella had none to subtly tried to conceal herself. He gave the cigar a thoughtful chew, than slung his heavy jacket over the girl's shoulders. An exasperated roll of his eyes and he was facing the officers, one hand holding Xella firmly.

"Right you mangy dogs, I said I wanted this ship fit to leave first thing in the morning. Gawking doesn't look like work to me. So get to it!"

Pleased they were stumbling about to his bidding, Smoker firmly guided Xella forward – half tempted to call Tashigi over. /Women know how to deal with this…. but then, I'd have to deal with the rest of them. Argh. I just want to catch those damn Straw Hats/. Severe, solemn expression in place – he took her aboard the ship, utterly ignoring anyone watching.

"Now what am I going to do with you. There is a distinct lack of cells here. And as much as I hate complimenting people"  
He gave a grim smile at the word. Reminding himself, of the awkward situation only minutes ago.  
"But you strike me as the sort of irritating, versatile individuals we don't often get."

**The small silence felt like forever, her blue eyes continuing to watch the sand beneath her feet as she waited for anything close to an answer that the marine could give her. Of course she let out a soft gasp as she felt the jacket fall around her shoulders, hands coming up to pull it around her as the thief looked to the older male from beneath her hair, feeling how he held her firmly. **

**Xella dropped her eyes again as his orders roared out over the younger officers, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched them scramble from where they had been to start working again. She felt him start to move and walked with him, glad that they were soon on the ship and away from prying and curious eyes. His voice snapped her out of her train of though and she looked up at him from under her fringe, blue eyes slightly shiny from the extra moisture on them. **

**"I guess that's your own opinion of me..." she said, voice low and slightly flat as she felt the soft fur-like material on the collar of his jacket tickle her chin and cheek. "But it's not the first time I've heard opinions like that." she added, one hand moving to tuck some of her hair behind her ear so it was no longer hanging in her face. **

**"Probably won't tell me... but since you know mine... could you tell me your name?" she asked.**

He felt a bit taken back – he hadn't told her, his name. He didn't normally need to tell anyone, in Logue Town everyone knew who he was. Beyond that, anyone who didn't know his name was a criminal, who'd learn his name very quickly.

"Captain Smoker"

He answered gruffly, knowing it was a part lie. He didn't like his recent promotion – the sting of receiving an undeserving position still quite fresh. For a moment he scowled heavily, whilst guiding Xella deeper onto the ship, hand still firmly wrapped around her forearm.

"You're a resourceful young lady then. And speaking of resources, you need other clothing. Whether or not you like it, you're coming with us and I'm not having you prance around in whatever it is you're wearing. Find something aboard and don't try to escape. I'm not in the mood to go searching."

With that he released the auburn haired female. Slightly ashamed of the appealing image she made in his jacket. Frowning, he turned away, thoughtfully drawing on the almost extinguished cigars.

**"Smoker..." she repeated quietly to herself. She had heard the name before but really had never taken that much interest Xella continued to walk with him as they walked further into the ship, the sound in the water slightly faint from the wood that stopped it from rushing in and taking the vessel down into its depths. **

**She looked at him as he commented on her clothing before stopping as he released her arm after the marine had gone quiet. "I'm sorry for my attire but as you might have noticed it's kind of hot outside," she said before letting a breath out at the last two sentences. "Don't worry... I don't want to walk past your officers again at the moment and since your not in the mood to go searching I guess that means I can't get the rest of my stuff... including the rest of my clothes." **

**Her fingers played with the zipper and fur on his jacket. "It probably be easier for both of us if I knew where to look for something else to wear." Xella said, moving to look at his face since he had turned away. She had let the jacket hang open now that there was no one staring at her and smiled softly as she thought of something. "I would say that those things aren't good for you... but it seems you've come up with a way for it to not matter."**

He mulled over her last sentence, partially confused by it. Smoker shook his head and decided it was probably better to ignore it. He knew quite well that he wasn't the brightest man in the world – but there wasn't a need to exclaim it to the world. Frowning, he came to a conclusion. It was rude enough dragging the girl away from her home (be criminal daughter of a marine or not) but leaving all belongings behind would be even more so. And so, speaking gruffly;

"Should probably collect all of your belonging. I don't know about you, but most women appear to have several items of importance as well as clothes. And we're leaving shortly so lets get them now. I'm sure I don't need to remind of the consequences if you try to escape".

With that he led the way back out of the ship, at the exit Smoker proffered his hand out, signalling Xella should take the lead.

**Xella's eyebrows rose as he spoke about going to collect her belonging since that would include the rest of her weapons. Not that she would use them since she said she would not try to escape. Her blue eyes dropped to the floor before she nodded. "Don't worry... I already said I wouldn't." she said and moved to follow him back out to the island's shore. **

**At least this time she wasn't that fazed with the officers since, glancing around at them, they didn't dare look towards the captain and herself. She noticed the marine motion for her to go and so she started out into the town, ignoring the glances that the two of them got. **

**"Seems she's got a marine in her trap now..." she heard someone whisper loudly as they walked past. Xella rolled her eyes before glancing back to Smoker. ****  
****"About time she got captured..." another said further up the street before she turned to the left into a small side street. ****  
****"Almost there." she said, pointing towards an old blue house with a small smile.**

Smoker adopted his usual standing on the irritating crowd – eyeing each on with distaste, a heavy scowl on his face. But instead of losing his temper, as he usually did with annoying individuals, he moved closer to the girl – a momentary feeling of protectiveness forcing the movement.

"I'm almost curious about what you've done to that lot. They've got a herd mentality and they're using it against you."

Smoker took in the view of the little blue house and took a long drag on the remains of his cigar. There wasn't much to it, but on the bright side, it might mean she didn't have too many belongings to drag back. He turned slightly to glare at the townsfolk - an expression he usually found cleared an entire street back at Logue Town. Unfortunately it didn't seem to curb in the curiosity of the citizens here. It was uncomfortable and he wanted to leave.

"Alright, lets get this done quickly. I want to be back on the ship within fifteen minutes"

**Xella's eyes fell back onto the marine as he moved closer, her cheeks going a light pink as they continued to walk. ****  
****"Well you get a reputation when your a thief... and the face I'm part siren... powers help when wanting to get something you want." she said as they came closer to the small building and she stopped outside the door. Letting the jacket slip from her shoulders she handed it back to the marine before moving to open the door. **

**"Don't worry... I don't have a lot." she said and moved to grab the bag she usually carried her stuff in when travelling to the next island. Grabbing a shirt with purple and grey stripes, she slipped it on before shoving the rest of her stuff in her bag, including her dagger and some other possessions. **

**She turned around and moved back out, a small bag of Belli in her hand before she handed it to Smoker. "Here... something recent I stole." she said, stopping next to him with a small smile.**

Casually Smoker slid the jacket back on and carefully took in the room he was now in. He noted the sparseness of the place with a bit of surprise. Females generally liked lots of pretty things and the building was pretty much devoid of such items. He slowly turned around to face Xella, carefully taking the bag of belli.

"Yes, we need to work on that. Starting with this money. You're going to return it to the owner along with a note of apology."

He fought to suppress the urge to smile back. The girl really was amusing. He could almost imagine her using her skills to swipe things from the tasteless townsfolk.

...

**_TBC._  
**

_Each chapter is actually one page on the guild board on Gaia... so sorry if the end of each chapter is kind of weird. ^^'  
_

_Review & Fave if you want._

_Peace & Love Madi. ^^_


	3. Chapter 3

_This is in fact a roleplay between me and my friend Vo on Gaia_

_Who's Who  
Vo - Smoker  
**Me - Xella**_

_Sadly, me or Vo do not own One Piece or Smoker-San. They belong to Eiichiro Oda._

_Xella Saltar (c) Me_

_..._

Chapter 3

**Xella pouted with a small frown, hating the idea of doing that. "You sound like my dad... before he turned drunken loony." she said before letting out a small breath as she turned to grab a pen out of her bag and a piece of paper. Moving to scribble down an apology and a hesitant promise to never do it again... not that she would in this lifetime. **

**Flicking part of her hair back over her shoulder she turned to the marine and held it out with a roll of her blue eyes. "Good enough Captain?" she asked, moving to lean against the wall so he could read it before they started back out towards the ship. **

**Her eyes moved to run over him, her instincts making sure he was reading the words on the paper as she did so, small, very light blush on her cheeks. He was very good looking...**

Smoker slowly took the slip of paper, careful to keep his face blank. He'd find a way to learn more about the girl's father. But now was not the time. He was beginning to feel they had accomplished a sort of compromise and he didn't want it ruined. Eyes quickly flickered over the paper – reading the apology;

"Thank you, this looks to be alright. I ought to make you hand deliver it, but we haven't the time. We'll drop it off at whatever subsumes as postal office around here."

Pocketing the apology and bag of belli, he looked up, catching Xella's eyes on him. Immediately he looked away, strangely confused on why he'd done such an action. Quickly he searched for something to occupy his hand, choosing to light a cigar. The familiar motion relaxed him enough to grunt out;

"Right, deliver letter and belli and then we're leaving'  
Making to leave the little house he yanked the door open and stepped out into the open.

**Xella kept quiet as she continued to look him over, eyes moving up to his face and the way he kept a blank expression as he read the letter. Her attention then moved to the handle of the sword that he had strapped to his back. It was a good sword... even if the tip wasn't pointy. She could easily see him using it and wondered if it would be able to actually slice through things. **

**His words fell on slightly deaf ears and it wasn't until he spoke again that she actually looked back to the marine, feeling a slightly awkward air around the two of them. She bit her lip, cheeks going a bit more pink as she realised she had been staring for too long and dropped her eyes as she followed him out. **

**"As you say captain..." she muttered, trying to get rid of the small blush. After a bit of walking slightly behind him she moved to his side. " So... why is it you became a marine Smoker?" Xella asked, trying to make conversation so the awkward silence wasn't hanging over the two of them.**

Ignoring the curious watchers with their sardonic comments, Smoker almost didn't hear Xella's question. Once he understood something was being asked, he let it hang in the air for a few moments – considering the best way to answer it.

"I suppose I became a marine because I wanted to rid the world of petty outlaws. To stop the blatant corruption to our society."

And then he retreated back into his own bitter world. The marine side, as he'd learnt over the years, were not so free of the corruption, as they liked to say. The recent fiasco with Crocodile had certainly proven that fact. He turned his attention back to the girl, eying her carefully with a cocked head.

"And why did you become a thief Miss Saltar?"

Still watching her, he tossed the bag of belli and the note in the tiny shack like dwelling that passed for a Post Office. A motion that saw it land on the table without any real effort on his part.

"You're obviously smart and talented. Yet you've chosen a life that won't give many benefits to yourself or society"

**The thief listened quietly as they walked, the straight forward answer made her clear her throat softly before she felt eyes on her and glanced back to him, blue eyes meeting the dark pair he possessed. The part-siren smiled softly as they continued along as she thought how to answer it. **

**When they passed the so-called post office she glanced at how he threw the bag and note, the two easily landing on the counter before she let out a breath after he spoke for the second time. **

**"I guess after hearing my father go on and on about being a marine and pretty much learning how they work inside out... it just started to bore me. As for the benefits... I find you're able to do so much more when the government does not tie you down and if there was no one like me... You..." she said, jabbing his arm lightly. "Would be out of work." **

**She laughed softly at the thought as they continued, her hand moving up to fix the bag as it had started to slip down her shoulder. ****  
****"So you should really be thanking people like me... we keep you at work and getting paid for it."**

He couldn't help it. He winced at the light jabs. And he had a hard time resisting the urge to rub at the spot being poked, even though there was no pain or discomfort in the motion. /Probably because no one else would dare get up all close….poke me/. Forcing the serious expression to remain on his face, he steered them both back to beach. Honestly he couldn't wait to leave the strange island behind.

With the ship now visible he turned to Xella – listening to her response and unable to resist an amused smirk.

"But just think what I could be doing if I wasn't off chasing criminals. I'm sure the world would be a lot more peaceful and relaxing…or maybe not, it'll still have irritating individuals like yourself in it."

Smoker smiled to make sure she knew he was only teasing. Then he turned back towards the labouring marines – his ship looking almost ready to leave.

"I just don't know what we're going to do with you. Try not to steal or manipulate too many of my men. Can you do that? And maybe you could help Tashigi or someone with their duties." He paused for a moment, distracted by the strap of the bag falling off her shoulder again. "Did you want me to carry that?"

**Xella thought for a second, trying to imagine him without the marines. She had to stifle a small laugh from escaping since the idea of him being something like a shopkeeper or something... she just couldn't see it working. Of course when he mentioned her being irritating she had to turn with a glare and give him a light punch on the arm before she moved to smile, another small laugh coming from her lips. **

**She couldn't let the smile drop as he spoke. "I'll only manipulate if I absolutely have to... like if I'm in trouble. Either that or I'll just run to you." she said, hearing the part about Tashigi. She let out a breath before his words about her bag caught her attention and she looked back to him. "Uh... if you want to... but really it's not that heavy." she said, the smile from before having turned softer. **

**She glanced back towards the ship and the officers, amazed at how fast they could work. It was about time she got off this island. Who knew that it would be on a marine ship?**

Distractedly, Smoker grabbed the bag and slung it carelessly over his own shoulder. Moving forward, he plastered an irritating scowl on his face – surveying what the marines had accomplished so far.

"Right, the tide's comes in quickly. And I want to be leaving with it, so get a move on."

Satisfied that the work was being completed and many were boarding the boat to ready it to leave, he turned back to Xella. Noticing at once she seemed apprehensive, although not entirely sure what to make of it.

"Now what on earth would you be doing on a marine ship that would possibly get you into trouble? Don't tell me. I am quite sure I don't want to know. There should be a few spare quarters on board. So feel free to pick which ever you like."

**Xella watched him take the bag before moving to follow quietly, watching how the officers moved to work faster without making any mistakes... if that was even possible. She looked to him when he started to talk, raising an eyebrow at the words and what they could mean. The auburn-haired girl let out a breath and moved up next to him. **

**"Thankyou Smoker... but you're going to have to show me. I don't know which is which." she said, hoping there was one close enough to his so she could annoy him if she was bored. Stealing from marines was a game for her... but it did get boring after doing it for a while. Especially if the ones she was taking stuff from were only officers and not captains with devil fruit powers. **

**The thought made her smile and she wondered what it would be like trying to hide from him with those tentacles of smoke he was able to make. She placed her hand over her mouth, dropping her eyes to the ground and turning away from him slightly, trying to hold back a small laugh, quickly moving to start walking towards the ship again.**

Smoker hesitated over the answer. On one hand showing her around would take him away from his duties. One could almost say skirt away from his given tasks. On the other hand, then he would know exactly where she would be staying – which in itself had numerous benefits. Such as knowing where to look if his effects started to disappear.

"I think I can manage that. If you don't mind coming to the helm first. I have to establish the best route to take to catch that damn…."

He fell silent, Xella didn't need to know that. Chances were, she'd be dropped off at the first strong marine based island long before he caught up to the straw hats. A thought he found to be slightly down putting. Her quirky antics and quicks quips, he found were slightly amusing…or at least the most interesting thing so far on the trip.

"And how do your navigation skills mar up?"

**The auburn-haired pirate raised an eyebrow as he stopped with an unfinished sentence. She guessed he was after someone by how fast he wanted the ship to be fixed and such. More fun. Maybe she had run into the people he was going after. But she doubted he would let her know who or what it was exactly he was chasing. ****  
****"No... not at all. Still need to get use to the ship so following you around would probably be a good idea. Plus it's something to do then sit around doing nothing." she said with a smile, the giggles having ceased from the though before. **

**Xella's blue eyes moved to look at him and she moved to pull something out of her pocket. "I guess having one of these helps." she said, showing him the log pose that she had taken from her dad before running away from her island. She moved to place it on her wrist, noticing it had finally set itself to point towards the next island. "But I'm guessing you have a better way to tell where you're going? Like a built in navigational system in the ship?" **

**She moved to blow her fringe slightly out of her face, the hair falling back down over the corner of her eye. "To tell the truth I know a bit about navigation. Dad taught me. Otherwise how would I be here from my island?" she said as they walked up onto the ship and down towards the helm, officers glancing towards them as they did so. ****  
****"Though I don't yet have the ability to predict things like this navigator I ran into. She was really cool, but a bossy boots."**

Smoker took Xella's hand to examine the gadget on her wrist. Realising a few moments later it was too close and personal, he released her hand and took a step back.

"I think we have an inbuilt in navigation system. But I prefer to use maps, I like to have the hard copy on hand. "

And with that, Smoker turned his attention to a bunch of battered sheafs of paper. Faded diagrams and old maps, with careful pencil lines scrawled over the top – depicting the path the marine's had been travelling up to reaching the island.

"Most navigators are a bit bossy. Sorry I'll give you a quick tour when I finish this."  
The comment was casual and made whilst he was busily mapping out a new line. A compass was drawn out of his pocket and tossed on the table, along with a ruler and pencil.

"Hmm. Okay, that'll do for a start. You get this ship moving. I want to be back on their tail. Alright, Xella lets find you a room and take note of all the rooms you'll be in the most. Only want to do this once."

A quick nod at the helm's staff and he followed Xella out of the room, lighting up another cigar and taking the opportunity to give her the once over.

**Xella's eyes widened when the captain grabbed her hand and a small blush breezed over her cheeks. She couldn't take her blue eyes off his interested gaze before she let her eyes drop as her hand was released and the marine took a step back. Her heart was beating a little faster then usual and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself a little, biting her tongue to try and get her mind off how his face looked so close. **

**When Smoker started to talk she looked back at him, blush having started to seep from her skin as she stood and watched the people around the helm, maps, books, compasses... everything you would need to find your way across the water and steer clear of anything that could cause you to sink or anything that wanted a meal. She smiled though since he seemed to like taking and keeping control of things in his own hands. ****  
****"Thankyou Smoker..." she said softly, moving to glance over what he was doing before glancing to his face as he created the line of travel. **

**"But seriously, she was really bossy... kept yelling at a guy with three swords while another blonde guy was following her around like a lost puppy..." she muttered before she smiled softly at the though and reality that he would be showing her around when he could be doing more interesting things. After all... she was a simple thief. "Don't worry Captain... I'm a fast learner and I'm sure experience will count for more then anything." she said and moved out slightly in front of him, humming to herself but not focusing it on anyone. ****  
****"He said take my hand, ****  
****Live while you can ****  
****Don't you see all your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand..."**

Smoker literally froze mid step. The descriptions blotting out everything in his mind, including Xella's appealing backside. He knew those people, he was chasing those people. A furious scowl spread across his face and he fought the urge to spin back around into the helm's room. Having chomped his cigar in half, one end landed on the floor. Recovering his temper, he managed to choke out;

"You've met the Straw Hat Pirates? Were they at this island? How long ago did you see them?"

He fell silent, although there was a million more questions waiting to be asked, he felt those were the most important. And really, it probably wasn't fair to drill her like that. Criminal or not.

**The air changed from one of relaxing and comfortable to slightly hostile and aggravated. Xella turned around to face him, having heard the thud of the cigar on the hallway floor. Her blue eyes widened slightly at the sight of the scowl and she moved to fully face him, not wanting her back turned on an angry marine. **

**"Uh... now I think about it I think it was them." she said, a bit scared as to what he might do now that he had the information that she had come into contact with the crew that he was obviously chasing. She figured that from his reaction. "They were on the island... around a day or two ago. They were kind of in a rush to gather supplies to get out of here." she added. **

**'Obviously because they knew he was coming...' she thought to herself before letting out a breath and slowly, cautiously moving towards him, stopping in front of him. Moving her hand up she softly placed it on his cheek, trailing her thumb across the skin under his eye before putting slight pressure on his temple. "Relax captain... don't want frown lines in a few years now do you?" she asked softly.**

...

**_TBC._  
**

_Songs that have been used so far in the story include...  
**Walking In The Air** - Celtic Woman**  
May It Be** - Celtic Woman (From LOTR)**  
Ordinary Day** - Vanessa Carlton  
_

_Review & Fave if you want._

_Peace & Love Madi. ^^_


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